It has been common practice to attach a surgical instrument, such as a needle or a catheter, to a patient by taping the instrument to the patient after the needle or tubular portion has been inserted into the patient. Although this procedure secures the instrument to the patient, it does not correctly orient the tube and an excess of adhesive bandage may be utilized. Further, this procedure fails to prevent the hub portion of the surgical instrument from contacting with and possibly injuring the patient. This procedure also endangers the health care provider by subjecting him or her into contact with the blood of the patient because the rubber gloves worn by the health care provider must be removed to attach the adhesive tape. The adhesive tape sticks to latex gloves causing a need for the removal of the gloves, which endangers the health care provider. Utilization of adhesive tape also causes tears in the gloves.
A recent development in this area is a band for anchoring a catheter or any other tubular device to the body described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,863 issued to David Kaplan, et al. This band only applies to a limb and incorporates a strap to secure the strap to a limb and a secondary strap to form a closed loop to encircle the catheter or similar device and hold it securely in place on the limb. Since this band only operates on a limb, it is not as useful as desirable. Further, since the band is narrow, this catheter holder fails to prevent the hub of the catheter from engaging the patient. Further, it uses a fastener, which makes it difficult to manufacture and expensive. Further, since it requires two bands to be operable, when one of the bands is lost, which may occur in emergency situations, such device becomes inoperable. Further, it is difficult to use without removing one's rubber gloves, which makes the health care provider susceptible to contact with the blood of the patient.
Another development in this area is a catheter tube holder described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,748, issued in the name of Melissa C. Johnson. The holder uses a pair of main members connected by a narrow bridge with complementary fasteners on the nonadhesive side of the bridge to hold the bridge in a chosen position. Because the bridge is narrow, which makes this tube holder fail to prevent the hub of the catheter from engaging the patient. Further, it uses a fastener, which may become inoperable in emergency situations and makes is difficult to manufacture and expensive. Further, the holder is difficult to use without removing one's rubber gloves, which makes the health care provider susceptible to contact with the blood of the patient.
A development in the area of adhesive film dressings is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,183 issued to Robert W. McCracken, et al. In this patent, an adhesive film dressing is described in which a film has one side coated with an adhesive and three release papers covering the adhesive. An edge flap is provided on each of the release papers so that each paper may be individually grasped and removed. This patent does not describe a catheter securing device, does not describe a device that inhibits the injury to a patient by preventing a catheter hub from contacting the patient, and does not describe a device that allows a health care provider to secure a surgical device to a patient without removing one's rubber gloves.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device to secure a surgical instrument to a patient that prevents undesirable contact between parts of the surgical instrument and the patient.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that enables the health care provider to not remove their rubber gloves when securing a surgical instrument to a patient.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device to secure a surgical instrument to a patient with a passageway to inhibit damage to the patient.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device to secure a surgical instrument to a patient allowing the surgical instrument to be viewed after being secured to the patient.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of securing a surgical instrument to a patient.